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Kentucky Fried Panda
Joined: 06 Apr 2007
Posts: 1742
Location: NW Engerland
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 Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 6:53 pm Post subject: |
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I think it was more to do with the heavy right foot of the driver... unless it was the 1.8T. That engine is thirsty, but oh so entertaining. 
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RogueMale
Joined: 03 Jan 2010
Posts: 328
Location: London
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| Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:30 pm Post subject: |
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| SleeperService wrote: | | RogueMale wrote: | | RalphW wrote: | | and if I do come up behind an HGV, I slow down and wait until there is plenty of space before easing past. That is how you get 93mpg. |
You'd presumably get even higher if you stayed in the HGV's slipstream (far enough behind to stop safely, of course). |
Well done Ralph considerate driving and thinking ahead and saving a deal of money.
I hope that you're not serious RogueMale, in the dry an HGV stops a lot faster than you think.
To get the benefit of slipstreaming you need to be about 10feet or less behind the lorry. |
Not according to Mythbusters, who got an 11% improvement driving at 55mph 100ft behind a big rig (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttgT1XZVvE. That's still closer than the recommended 150ft distance. It's a shame they didn't try 150ft but, even that far behind, I'd still expect a few percent improvement. |
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RalphW
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 3524
Location: Cambridge
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:22 am Post subject: |
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Same distance (30 metres) also recommended by the hypermiler who recently got 126mpg out of his Skoda - 1250 miles on one tank of fuel.
He said the main problem was that other cars always cut in to the 30 metre gap, and he has to back off again 
He also runs his tyres above the recommended pressures (I do too.) Unless you are doing emergency braking in the wet (very rare with my driving style) there are no safety implications.
Went into town yesterday with wife driving. Car got 55mpg due to being constantly in wrong gear and late breaking. The electric fan was racing for minutes after we got home trying to cool the poor beast down |
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DominicJ
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 4387
Location: NW UK
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 11:38 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | He said the main problem was that other cars always cut in to the 30 metre gap, and he has to back off again |
I think my efforts at being a good driver ended on the way home, after my first drive to work. Stuck in a massive traffic jam, bored of, creep forward a metre, hand break, I left it for a few metres, and the car behind me pulled out, over took me, pulled in.
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Mean Mr Mustard
Joined: 31 Dec 2006
Posts: 1415
Location: Cambridgeshire
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| Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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| RalphW wrote: | | The electric fan was racing for minutes after we got home trying to cool the poor beast down |
Nope, that's normal for a modern diesel. Its the diesel particulate filter (occasional cooking of the soot) cycle being interrupted, which causes the fan to cut in to cool the system down. The engine needs a good steady 60 mph run from time to time.
http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/diesel-particulate-filters/
Plenty about this and more on Briskoda. Which is not just for the  boy racer petrolheads.
http://briskoda.net/forums/forum/95-skoda-discussions/
Worth a occasional look as it alerts you to common / emerging issues. But remember people only tend to write in reporting problems, not to say they've had another 30k of trouble-free driving. 
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Potemkin Villager
Joined: 14 Mar 2006
Posts: 505
Location: Narnia
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 8:49 am Post subject: |
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We are presently just so used to it that we really do find
it very hard indeed to even begin to think about
life without mass private car transport.
My next and possibly last car looks like being a throwaway £500
1999 Ford Fiesta.
http://transitiontownsireland.ning.com/video/preying-mantis
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DominicJ
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 4387
Location: NW UK
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 10:40 am Post subject: |
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Mines a £500 T reg skoda.
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RenewableCandy
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
Posts: 10688
Location: York
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| Posted: Thu Jun 23, 2011 11:48 pm Post subject: |
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Good to know that you can get them that cheap  If we have a "next car" it'll probably be a Skoda.
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bigjim
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 666
Location: Cleethorpes
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 12:19 am Post subject: |
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| I've got a 54 plate Octavia 1.9TDi and I love driving it. The only issue I have is the fuel economy readout, much of the time it tells me I'm doing 60mpg+ (once managed to coax it up to 80mpg) but in reality, once I've filled it up, I calculate I get about 55mpg. I do employ some hypermilling techniques such as slowing down in gear whenever possible rather than going for the brakes, trying not to accelerate too sharply and cycling around town and to work rather than driving. |
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DominicJ
Joined: 18 Nov 2008
Posts: 4387
Location: NW UK
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| Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2011 8:30 am Post subject: |
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Dont get one that old.....
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SleeperService
Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 923
Location: Nottingham UK
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| Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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| RogueMale wrote: | | SleeperService wrote: | | RogueMale wrote: | | RalphW wrote: | | and if I do come up behind an HGV, I slow down and wait until there is plenty of space before easing past. That is how you get 93mpg. |
You'd presumably get even higher if you stayed in the HGV's slipstream (far enough behind to stop safely, of course). |
Well done Ralph considerate driving and thinking ahead and saving a deal of money.
I hope that you're not serious RogueMale, in the dry an HGV stops a lot faster than you think.
To get the benefit of slipstreaming you need to be about 10feet or less behind the lorry. |
Not according to Mythbusters, who got an 11% improvement driving at 55mph 100ft behind a big rig (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lttgT1XZVvE. That's still closer than the recommended 150ft distance. It's a shame they didn't try 150ft but, even that far behind, I'd still expect a few percent improvement. |
That's interesting and I stand corrected. 
Went out on a double run today and followed my mate to see what happened. I figured it would be more obvious in a slab fronted HGV.
REALLY close no buffetting virtually no accelerator needed to keep up.
30 metres a lot of buffeting causing cab rock (due to turbulence off the sides of the lorry ahead?) bit more pedal needed. I suspect a lower streamlined car wouldn't be as affected by the turbulence.
50 metres less buffeting, same pedal as 30 metres caused me to fall back quite quickly. But fuel comsumption WAS better than normal when I maintained the 50 metres by about 5%.
You live and learn 
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kenneal - lagger
Site Admin
Joined: 20 Sep 2006
Posts: 7057
Location: Newbury, Berkshire
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| Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 2:43 am Post subject: |
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Are you causing more fuel to be used in the followed vehicle?
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SleeperService
Joined: 02 May 2011
Posts: 923
Location: Nottingham UK
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:56 am Post subject: |
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| kenneal wrote: | | Are you causing more fuel to be used in the followed vehicle? |
Now THAT is a very good question. When I'm out again I'll see what happens when a lorry comes up behind mine. 
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ujoni08
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 829
Location: Stroud Gloucestershire
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| Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:19 am Post subject: Fuel consumption |
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I have just filled up, and am pleasantly surprised to find that my actual fuel use is lower than what the digital readout on the dashboard tells me.
Readout shows 76.3 mpg, but my own calculations are:
648 miles on 36.0 litres
18 miles per litre
81.72 mpg
28.968192 Km per litre
3.45 litres per 100 Km
That's driving very smoothly and reading the road far ahead, etc. although I live in the Cotswolds, so often have to climb up steep, narrow, windy hills in 2nd or 3rd gear, and use the brakes on steep, narrow, windy downhills, so lose the benefit of being able to just let the car run downhill on a closed throttle, as I would if it were straight and safe to do so. If I moved to Cambridgeshire I reckon I could get closer to 90mpg
Jon |
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bigjim
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 666
Location: Cleethorpes
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| Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:36 pm Post subject: |
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| kenneal wrote: | | Are you causing more fuel to be used in the followed vehicle? |
I wouldn't have thought so. The HGV does all the work by pushing the air out of its path and at some point behind it it'll start to resemble things pre-HGV. I doubt you'd increase fuel consumption if you drive in front of this point, after all there's no real physical connection between the HGV and the following vehicle to cause drag.
Or I may be completely wrong. |
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